Mercury-tainted soil found upstream from Grassy Narrows First Nation

thestar.com

Reporters with the Toronton Star and volunteers from Earthroots took soil samples from behind an old paper mill, 100 kilometres upstream from Grassy Narrows, which revealed significantly elevated levels of mercury. Story here.

Climate change: The potential impacts of collective inaction

Nation of Change

Such irresponsible, reckless behaviour adds grist to the mill of those both inside America and throughout the world. Story here.

Another Blatant Conflict-of-Interest is Ignored on Our National Airwaves. Has CBC Radio's "The House" Let Us Down Again?

by Larry Powell

Will the CBC ever learn?

More than five years ago, the radio program "The House," interviewed their "go-to" guy on just about everything; corporate apologist and big-shot business tycoon Derek Burney (l.), a former Canadian ambassador to the U.S. and adviser to Brian Mulroney.  He sang the praises of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline (extremely controversial even then) and railed against the "violent emotion" being used by environmentalists to oppose it. He never gave, nor was he asked to give, examples of what he meant by violent. Neither did he nor the CBC ever mention that he (Burney) was then (and may still be, for all I know), a director of Trans Canada Pipelines, proponents of the project! It was only after I made a formal complaint to the CBC ombudsman that they apologized for the "oversight." 

Fast forward to this morning and, lo and behold, the same program interviewed the same Derek Burney! This time, in a spiel reminiscent of Nazi-appeaser Neville Chamberlain (the UK's PM at the start of the Second World War), Burney laid out his own blueprint for "getting along" with the incoming Trump administration. Once again, no mention of Burney's business interests! 

Do you suppose Burney just might have an ulterior motive here? Perhaps he doesn't want us to do anything that would rock the boat, or move Trump off his position of support for what is likely still one of Burney's pet projects, the Keystone XL pipeline?

In this age of fake news and rampant conflicts-of-interest, surely the CBC can do better. 

Ya think?

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Europe should expand the ban on bee-harming pesticide, say campaigners

theguardian

The threat posed to bees by neonicotinoid pesticides is greater than perceived in 2013 when the EU adopted a partial ban, new report concludes. Story here.

PinP photo

Please also read how the EPA is disgracefully bowing to pressure from industry in the fight to protect bees, here.

TELL PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP: NO DANGEROUS MONSANTO-BAYER MEGAMERGER!

Add your name and tell President-elect Trump: NO dangerous Bayer-Monsanto merger!

Larry,

On Wednesday, President-elect Trump sat down with Bayer CEO Werner Baumann and Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant at Trump Tower and had a “productive meeting” on “the future of the agriculture industry”¹ and the pending merger between the two companies.²

Trump has heard from the CEOs. Now we need you to make your voice heard. Add your name and tell President-elect Trump: NO to the dangerous Bayer-Monsanto merger >>

Farmers hurt by Yancoal’s divide and conquer strategy

Trevor Herriot’s Grass Notes

Saskatchewan is already well known for its potash mining and now another massive, multi-billion dollar project could soon be developed north of Regina.  Story here.

Exxon's Potential Climate Fraud

Dear Reader, Help shine a light on Exxon's potential climate fraud: Give $15 or more to Friends of the Earth Action! It could be the biggest case of corporate fraud in history. Exxon knew about climate change as early as the 1970s. It’s been lying for decades about the greatest environmental crisis the planet has ever faced. It secretly funded a campaign of denial to discredit the work of climate scientists. And it may have committed fraud in the process. If that weren’t bad enough, Donald Trump has now nominated Exxon’s own CEO, Rex Tillerson, to Secretary of State -- one of the most powerful positions in his administration.

We can't let Rex Tillerson become the next US Secretary of State.

Credit: William Munoz/CC BY 2.0 We can't let Rex Tillerson become our next Secretary of State. STAND WITH US Dear Larry - It's on: ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, whose dubious credits include close ties to Vladimir Putin, sanction-defying business deals with Iran, and millions in donations to climate-change denial groups, is, after yesterday's Senate confirmation hearing, one step closer to becoming Secretary of State. Tillerson's countless conflicts of interest and relationships with dictators and oligarchs make him the most dangerous cabinet pick in recent memory. His record at ExxonMobil -- corruption schemes, human rights abuses, investor fraud -- paints a terrifying picture of America's diplomatic future.

Turbulent times ahead for air travel?

THE ROYAL SOCIETY

Scientists are now discovering that climate change and air travel could be having huge impacts on each other. Story here.

PinP photo.

U.S. takes step to boost organic food production

Western Producer

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has taken a step toward increasing the production of organic foods – which has not kept pace with demand, by launching a program to certify farmland that growers are in the process of switching to organic. Story here.

An organic garden in Manitoba. PinP photo.

Rising Carbon Emissions from Warming Soil Highlight Benefits of Land Restoration

WORLD

RESOURCES

INSTITUTE

A new study in the journal Nature explores a vicious cycle: as a changing climate driven by greenhouse gas emissions warms the planet, soils heat up and the micro-organisms that live in the soil start to expel heat-trapping carbon dioxide, reinforcing the problem of climate change. Story here.